


The Gate Room Date

by ScribbleTheCalico



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dancing, First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Mild Language, Slow Dancing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-07
Updated: 2015-09-07
Packaged: 2018-04-19 13:57:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4748912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScribbleTheCalico/pseuds/ScribbleTheCalico
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shifu and Cassie decide that Jack and Daniel have been avoiding their feelings for long enough and take matters into their own hands.</p><p>Note: This takes place in my AU where Daniel did not leave Shifu with Oma in "Maternal Instinct," but instead took him back to SGC, where Janet adopts him.</p><p>Mostly fluff, only rated T for a single swear word.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Gate Room Date

**Author's Note:**

  * For [art_in_my_history](https://archiveofourown.org/users/art_in_my_history/gifts).



> Again, this takes place in my AU. The original Tumblr post on the subject can be found here: http://goo.gl/I9BZSY. Otherwise, this takes place sometime during season 4 or early season 5, definitely before "Meridian."
> 
> (This was a birthday fic for danielspacemonkeyjackson, and inspired by a Skype conversation with her and thegoodlannister.)

“Are you sure about this, Shifu?”

Daniel adjusted his tie while his stepson pranced in excited circles around him. Technically, Shifu had no relation to him, but ‘stepson’ was easier to say than ‘Harcesis child of my late wife’s parasite.’

The child in question bounced to a halt in front of Daniel. “Cassie said Walter wanted it to be all fancy.” Shifu looked his stepfather up and down. He had specifically picked out Daniel’s suit for the occasion, a medium gray pinstripe with a white shirt and a blue tie roughly the same color as the event horizon of the Stargate wormhole. He had even managed to find a pocket square in the same shade. Satisfied that Daniel’s outfit was appropriate for the event, Shifu nodded.

“So Walter wants a fancy birthday party in the Gate Room,” Daniel remarked, “and the first I hear about it is through you?”

“Yup! Come on, we’re gonna be late!” Shifu grabbed Daniel’s hand and started pulling him down the corridors of the SGC before Daniel could finish his planned remark of confusion. As the Gate Room doors neared, Daniel decided to keep his suspicions to himself. Shifu was obviously having a great time, and besides, if there weren’t some sort of event happening in the Gate Room, why would Shifu get him all dressed up?

Shifu skidded to an abrupt halt just in front of the closed Gate Room doors, and Daniel almost crashed into him. He had no idea how Shifu could manage so many short bursts of energy in one day. “Daniel?” Shifu asked quietly.

“What is it, Shifu?”

“I have to go to the bathroom.”

“Okay. Come on, I’ll walk you over.”

“No, I know where it is. The party’s already started. You can go in, everyone should be there already. Bye!”

And with that, Shifu was off down the hall. For a moment Daniel worried about him being alone in a top-secret military base, but considering that Shifu spent at least half of his life here, Daniel decided he would be fine on his own. Now, to see what this mysterious birthday party of Walter’s was all about…

Daniel straightened his tie one final time, stepped forward, and swiped his access card. The heavy door slid open and Daniel stepped inside to see…nothing.

Well, that wasn’t entirely accurate. There were no birthday decorations or guests in fancy dress or even Walter. Instead there was a single small table set up at the base of the Gate Ramp. Confused, Daniel took a few steps closer. Suddenly, Daniel realized that the table had been decorated with one of Janet’s nicest tablecloths and a vase holding a bouquet of beautiful blue flowers. Candles flickered on each side, and Daniel was slightly stunned to realize that they were the same kind Teal’c used to _kelno’reem_. Finally, two covered silver platters completed the ensemble.

Daniel just stared. “What the hell…?” he heard himself mutter as he continued to just stare. In that moment he suddenly realized that soft music was playing throughout the room. He didn’t even know that the Gate Room had a speaker system, yet somewhere, “God Only Knows” by The Beach Boys was playing. The entire scene felt like a first date out of a Hallmark movie.

Another sound joined the music, the unmistakable sound of the second Gate Room door sliding open. Daniel turned to see Jack stroll in confidently only to slow down in confusion when he saw Daniel standing there alone. As Jack came to a bewildered stop, Daniel fought to keep his jaw from dropping. He had assumed Jack would be at this party as well, and he had assumed that if he had to wear a suit then Jack would be wearing his dress uniform. This seemed not to be the case. Instead, Jack wore gray pinstripe dress slacks, a black tie, and a button-down dress shirt the same shade of wormhole-blue as Daniel’s tie. It looked good on him.

While Daniel took in Jack’s ensemble, Jack took in Daniel’s. And the empty Gate Room. And the incredibly romantic candlelit dinner table between them. He narrowed his eyes, blinking a few times as his brain put the pieces together.

“Daniel,” Jack finally said, a tone of both greeting and confusion.

“Jack,” Daniel replied in the same tone.

“This is not a birthday party for Walter.”

Daniel sighed, finally getting all the pieces together himself. “No. It’s not. I think we’ve been parent trapped by my stepson.” He felt his face turning bright red as he spoke.

“Ah.” Jack gestured over his shoulder. “So I take it that Cassie will not be coming back from the bathroom anytime soon?”

Daniel nodded. “That’s a good guess, yes. I think the same goes for Shifu.”

Jack pulled a face somewhere between a smile and a grimace. “Damn kids,” he said fondly.

Daniel had no response, so he simply waited. So did Jack. The silence stretched between them, broken only by the gentle music and the slight tapping of Jack’s foot on the floor.

Jack spoke up just as Daniel glanced at his watch to check how long this horribly awkward moment had lasted. “So…”

Daniel jumped right in. “So, I guess I’ll talk to Shifu about this, and you can talk to Cassie. I mean, they meant well—actually, I have no idea what they meant by this, this is rather elaborate—but still, we need to make sure that they understand—”

“Daniel.” Jack cut him off, and Daniel startled a bit of his babbling trance. “Um…I don’t know about Shifu, but Cassie seemed really excited about all of this, and since they’ve clearly taken all of this effort…” he trailed off awkwardly before finishing with a slightly timid, “we could at least eat the food?”

Daniel treated Jack to his trademark double blink of surprise while he considered. “I…suppose,” he agreed hesitantly after a long moment. “Shifu was even more energetic than usual, we could at least…eat the food.”

“Right,” Jack said. Neither of them moved. The silence stretched between them once more as the music playlist switched to a new song.

“So…are we going to eat the food?” Daniel finally asked.

“Yes. Yes we are.” Jack stepped forward to the table, and, when Daniel stepped forward a bit more slowly, crossed to Daniel’s side and pulled the chair out for him. Daniel cast Jack a strange look, but sat nonetheless.

“I wonder what they made,” Daniel remarked as Jack settled into his own chair.

Jack placed a hand on the top of his silver platter. “Let’s find out.” He waited for Daniel to grab his own platter, then the two men lifted the tops at the same time.

“Ah,” Jack remarked.

“Hm,” Daniel agreed.

Jack lifted his no doubt meticulously crafted sandwich from the plate. “I don’t know what I expected,” he said, examining his meal. “PBJ?”

“Fluffernutter,” Daniel corrected. “I made it for Shifu once. I mentioned it was my favorite as a kid. He must have remembered.” He smiled slightly in appreciation for his stepson’s considerate nature.

“He’s a good kid. They both are,” Jack said, before taking a bite of his sandwich. “Plus this is probably all they could manage to make,” he added with his mouth full.

Daniel watched him chew for a moment. Then the ridiculousness of the situation fully dawned on him. His stepson had tricked him into going on a date—an extremely romantic candlelit dinner date in the Gate Room, no less—with _Jack_. And here they sat, dressed up like prom dates, eating _fluffernutters_. Suddenly, Daniel couldn’t hold it in any more.

Jack glanced up in alarm as a bizarre snorting sound erupted from Daniel’s mouth and nose, then relaxed as he realized that it was laughter. No, not quite. Daniel was giggling, his eyes closed, his shoulders hunching as his entire frame shook. He couldn’t even manage to put down his sandwich, he was so overcome.

Jack hadn’t seen Daniel laugh like that in a long time. Daniel kept everything bottled in, so close to his chest, that seeing an outburst like this was a rare treasure. His mood was contagious, and before he knew it, Jack was laughing with him. Daniel buried his head in his arms on the table, still shaking with laughs that had become almost silent. His hand still clutched the tiny sandwich safely away from the cradle of his arms, and that sent Jack off in another burst of giggles, tears forming in his eyes.

Despite the slight ache building in his chest, Jack wouldn’t change this moment for anything in the world. It was just the two of them, just him and Daniel, laughing their asses off and enjoying each other’s company.

After a few minutes, the two managed to calm down to softer gasps. Daniel got his breath back enough to sit up. “Oh God, I’m sorry. I just—with the candles and the flowers and then the _sandwiches_ , I couldn’t keep it in anymore.”

“I’m right there with ya, Danny. No need to apologize.” Jack leaned back in his chair, grinning. “Well, this was quite the adventure, wasn’t it?”

Daniel took a bite from his sandwich. “Yes, it was. We still need to talk with Shifu and Cassie, though.”

“Aw, come on. They’ve been dropping hints about us for years.”

“Yes, but this is a bit extreme.” Daniel glanced around the Gate Room. “How did they even get the Gate Room empty?” Then he paled a little bit. “You don’t think they got General Hammond in on this, do you?”

“Wouldn’t surprise me,” Jack answered. “You know how much of a softie he is when it comes to those two.”

“Still, getting the Gate Room completely empty…”

“I’m sure there are people on standby to rush in frantically for any incoming wormholes,” Jack responded. “Probably wouldn’t do it for anyone except Cass and Shifu, though. Hell, Siler wanted to throw some birthday bash for Walter in here last spring and Hammond shot it down before he could even finish his sentence. But those two kids have Hammond wrapped around their fingers.”

“Well, that’s what happens when you’re an honorary grandfather…” Daniel trailed off, all of Jack’s words sinking in. Jack cocked his head, practically hearing wheels turning in Daniel’s brain, but not sure what they were working on.

“Jack…?” Daniel finally began.

“Mm?”

“Did you just say that Siler wanted to have a birthday party for Walter here last spring?”

“Yeah, it was—oh.” Jack broke off with a wince. “Shit,” he added under his breath.

“So, you knew that Walter’s birthday is…not…today?”

Jack didn’t answer. That was answer enough.

“So, when Cassie told you that there was a birthday party for Walter…” Daniel wasn’t sure where the rest of this was going, but he plowed ahead anyway, “why did you…you know…come?”

Jack still didn’t answer. His face had gone a shade paler than usual.

Daniel persisted. “Jack…?”

Jack awkwardly cleared his throat. “Uh…I may have, um…I might have, you know…had some…suspicions…that this was…um…” he added the final two words so quietly and quickly that Daniel almost didn’t catch them, “a date.”

Daniel sat there stunned, his brain working frantically. The obvious answer to his burning question was right in front of him, but he couldn’t bring himself to grab it. He started speaking again, slowly, carefully. “So…when Cassie told you to dress up and come to the Gate Room for a birthday party for Walter…you knew it was bogus, but you went along with it on the off chance that…that you’d get a date with me?”

“Kinda?”

“Kinda?” Daniel echoed.

Jack cleared his throat and raised his eyes to meet Daniel’s. He spoke with a quiet sincerity that Daniel didn’t hear from him often. “Yes. Yes, I did.”

Daniel had seen Jack face Goa’uld System Lords, a ship full of Replicators, creatures from other dimensions, and pretty much every form of certain death imaginable. However, he had never seen Jack look as scared as he did in this moment.

No, he _had_ seen Jack that scared before. On Apophis’s ship, right after Daniel had taken a staff blast directly to the chest. Jack had run out, kneeled in front of him, made to carry him away to safety, and Daniel, knowing that the rest of the team would never make it with him in tow, told Jack to leave him behind, that he would stay and watch their backs. Jack had hesitated, but had reached out and cupped his face before turning to join the rest of the team.

The look of fear and sorrow on Jack’s face before he had left him behind would forever be etched in Daniel’s mind. At that time, he had assumed that it was regular concern for a teammate mixed with the adrenaline, stress, and exhaustion of having the fate of the planet in their hands. But with Jack’s latest admission, Daniel wasn’t so sure. Oh, God, had Jack felt that strongly for that long…?

Did Jack love Daniel?

Looking into Jack’s eyes, Daniel could see the answer there clear as day. He had no idea how he had been blind to it for so long.

Did Daniel love Jack?

Jack stared at Daniel. He figured his admission would come as a bit of a shock—although he hadn’t done that great of a job hiding his feelings—but clearly he had caught Daniel completely unawares. Daniel was taking a painfully long time to respond. He needed to say something, anything, dammit. Jack had never felt more vulnerable in his life.

The silence stretched between them, and a real silence this time—the corny romantic playlist was between songs. Daniel held Jack’s eye contact, but his expression, besides surprised, was completely unreadable. Jack wanted to squirm in his chair, but he couldn’t bring himself to move. If Daniel didn’t say something soon, he might have to play the whole thing off as a joke, but he wasn’t sure he could bring himself to treat something that important so flippantly.

The next song began to play, and Jack, if possible, went even paler as Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling In Love” filled the room. It couldn’t have timed better if he had tried. Daniel finally broke eye contact as his eyes wandered in all directions, almost as if searching for the source of the music. Jack, however, knew Daniel well enough to understand that Daniel was sorting how his options and considering the best plan of action. All Jack could do was wait until Daniel decided how to take this.

When Daniel moved his arms, the movement itself wasn’t sudden, but after sitting in the still silence for what felt like centuries, it took Jack by surprise. Daniel placed both hands on the table and pushed back, sliding his chair out, slowly rising to his feet. He paused there for a moment, a long, horrifying moment where Jack was sure that he would simply walk out of the room.

Then Daniel stepped to the side. Then forward. Then forward again. Then one final step that brought him completely around the table. Jack couldn’t move, could only stare at the man in front of him. Daniel held Jack’s gaze for several long moments before carefully extending a hand to him, cocking his head ever so slightly.

Jack gaped in confusion before it sunk in. _Daniel was asking him to dance._

In a slight daze, Jack reached up to grip Daniel’s hand and allowed the younger man to haul him out of the chair. Daniel led Jack away from the table, then turned again to face him. Jack positioned Daniel’s arms, one hand resting on his shoulder, the other gripping his. He maintained a reasonable distance between them, and before either of them could back out, Jack starting moving. Daniel matched his steps, and suddenly, the two men were slow-dancing in the middle of the Gate Room.

Despite initiating the dance, Daniel had expected it to feel forced and awkward. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Stepping in a slow circle, Jack’s arm underneath his, felt so right. Relief flooded through him and he felt the beginnings of a smile on his face.

The sight of that shy grin just barely contorting Daniel’s lips bolstered Jack, filling him with an overwhelming urge to do something reckless. So he did. Bringing their tiny steps to a halt, Jack leaned in close, and, slowly, leaving the other man plenty of time to back away, pressed his lips against Daniel’s.

Not wanting to rush Daniel into anything too quickly, Jack did his best to keep their first kiss chaste, and he mostly succeeded. For a few seconds Daniel didn’t respond at all, and Jack was about to break away when Daniel opened his mouth ever so slightly to kiss him back. Jack just barely let the tip of tongue trace Daniel’s lips, then backed away slowly.

Daniel’s eyes had drifted shut during the kiss, and he needed a moment to gather himself before he could open them. Jack’s face filled most of his vision, hovering nervously, hands on Daniel’s shoulders. “Was that okay?” Jack said, so softly and gently that Daniel could barely believe that this was still his team leader. Daniel blinked slowly and opened his mouth. _Yes,_ he wanted to say, _yes, Jack, that was perfect, this is perfect, and I think I might love you._ But none of that would come out.

 _This is Jack,_ Daniel told himself. _This is Jack, you can trust him._ But he still couldn’t do it. The admission scared him too much.

Jack lifted an arm from Daniel’s shoulder to cup his face. “Daniel?” he prompted.

Well, Jack needed _something,_ or he would never kiss him again, and Jack never kissing him again was simply unacceptable. Daniel managed a nod, then a full smile burst across his face before he could stop it. Apparently it was infectious, because Jack grinned wider than Daniel had ever seen him grin before pulling him in tightly against his chest. Daniel felt a gentle kiss against the side of his head, and brought his arms up to return Jack’s embrace.

“We still need to talk to Cass and Shifu?” Jack murmured into his ear.

“Probably not,” Daniel responded quietly. “Although they’re probably going to ask what happened.”

“And what did happen?” Daniel didn’t answer, content to just hold Jack even tighter, but Jack continued, “We have to tell them something, Danny.”

Something about hearing Jack casually call him ‘Danny’ sent the rest of Daniel’s nerves out the window, and he completely relaxed into Jack’s arms. Jack felt the difference, and pressed another kiss to his temple before moving one hand to caress the back of his head, the way he had in this same room all those years ago, when Daniel had surprised him by being alive after all and Jack had called him ‘spacemonkey.’

His voice partially muffled into Jack’s shoulder, Daniel finally answered, “I guess we tell them that…” he took a breath and then finished, “that our first date went well.”

Daniel felt Jack laugh softly against the side of his face as he started swaying to the music once more. Following his lead, Daniel started tiny, tiny steps, and the two men danced, wrapped in each other’s arms, while the song finished out quietly in the background.

 

> Take my hand  
>  Take my whole life, too  
>  For I can’t help falling in love with you  
>  For I can’t help falling in love with you

**Author's Note:**

> If you are unaware what a fluffernutter is, I pity you. A fluffernutter is a sandwich made with peanut butter and marshmallow fluff. It tastes like rainbows and happiness.


End file.
